Policy Brief No, 58. Private Sector Participation in the Farm Input Subsidy Programme in Malawi
Abstract
The Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) in Malawi has been implemented since the 2005/06 season with the objective of improving household and national food production and incomes. It targets more than 1.5 million farm families who receive subsidised fertilisers, improved maize seeds and/or legume seeds. The implementation of the FISP has involved the interaction of the Government of Malawi, the private sector, development partners, civil society organisations (CSOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), traditional leaders and smallholder farmers, all playing different roles in the implementation and success of the programme. The private sector has played a critical role, but its involvement in the programme has changed over time. Benefits from the inclusion of the private sector in the implementation of a nation-wide agricultural input subsidy programme include efficiency, reduced bureaucracy, strategic development of the private market system, cost savings on the part of the Government, shared investment finance and costs, and reduction in displacement of commercial sales of inputs.
Citation
Chirwa, E.W.; Dorward, A.R. Policy Brief No, 58. Private Sector Participation in the Farm Input SubsidyProgramme in Malawi. Future Agricultures Consortium, Brighton, UK (2013) 8 pp.
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